How to Make Your Team Meetings Feel More Collaborative & Connected
It’s no secret that successful business models rely on effective communication between employees. Team collaboration results in a steady pace of productivity, and if done correctly, ensures that all members of a team stay on the same page. The ideal result is a brainstorming environment that maintains employee engagement and ensures that all employees are performing at their fullest potential.
The COVID era has disrupted traditional workplace structure by a wide margin, and the result is remote work becoming the status quo. Production shake-ups have caused substantial turbulence, resulting in team meetings shifting to a similar remote structure. This has caused a substantial disconnect for employees, forcing them to adapt to a new style of communication.
However, with the correct frame of mind, workplace communication can be adapted to suit the needs of any business structure. Whether these modified team meetings are in-person, remote, or a combination of the two, it is crucial to ensure that they keep the same momentum of productivity regardless of format. Sticking to this mindset will ensure employee success and plant the seeds for further potential growth.
Putting the right people in charge of team meetings
The success of any team meeting relies on organization, and there always needs to be someone at the helm of a project to ensure that employees stay on task, follow deadlines, and meet production standards.
This person should be able to relate to employees on a personal level and bring out the best quality of work from their coworkers. Additionally, they should also focus on stimulating a collaborative workspace to ensure that every member feels energized in their task. The Harvard Business Review stated in a 2007 article that “appointing such a team is frequently the only way to assemble the knowledge and breadth required to pull off many complex tasks businesses face today.” An ideal team leader should understand the importance of not only assembling such a team but also guiding them in their duties.
A team leader should know how to set the tone and pace of a team meeting. They should also have the know-how to make sure that meetings don’t come across as stale or monotonous. Additionally, they should be able to provide the right kind of brainstorming tools to ensure that everyone feels connected and on the same page. Team leaders should ensure that all contributions are being heard, and that everyone is getting the most out of the collaboration by maintaining an open channel of communication.
An article published on Toptal about Hybrid Meeting Practices notes that “It’s surprisingly easy for team members and leaders who are together in person to minimize the contributions and efforts of remote workers.“
However, this doesn’t have to be the case, if the chosen team leader knows how to gauge and interact with their team, they can navigate these pitfalls.
Creating a company culture that views team meetings as a learning atmosphere
Company culture trickles into all aspects of the workplace, and team meetings are no exception. A team meeting is a perfect place to reflect on company culture and refine it in ways that benefit productivity and morale. Even during remote work, team meetings need to accommodate a learning environment that guarantees that everyone feels involved.
This kind of atmosphere can be cultivated by making sure that the company culture is open, approachable, transparent, and encouraging.
Team meetings are not only an ideal place to brainstorm production ideas but also explore changes within company culture that are already in place. Remote work has left many feeling isolated, and discussions pertaining to company culture have been altered as a result. Team meetings are an ideal environment to address these changes and cultivate solutions for the future.
A 2020 article by Forbes addresses the significance of communication when concerning interpersonal relationships reflected in company culture, the article states, “Remote workers may be communicating with their teammates more than ever through email, text, phone, video conferencing ... that doesn’t mean they are finding time to interact as people — engaging in the type of relaxed conversations about their lives and interests that they would have had organically in the office...”
Company culture has shifted across all industries, now is the time to redefine your culture and be open and communicative about these changes with your team.
Implementing the right tools to make team meetings better
As a result of the remote nature of collaboration in 2021, it is a necessity that team meetings are infused with the right tools to energize company engagement. Stormboard is an all-in-one digital platform that creates dynamic meetings by ensuring that the full potential of a team is attained. Stormboard’s technology is built around the principle that all members of a team should have an active role in engagement and communication.
With Stormboard, brainstorming, collaboration, and business processes are more effective, resulting in an online synergy that removes sitting and waiting for instruction from the equation and puts an emphasis on collaboration and creation.
Creating repeatable team meetings that excel
Team meetings depend on authentic engagement from all participants who are involved. While the rhythm of a meeting depends on its leader, it is up to all members to stay engaged, attentive, and interact on a level past the scope of the task at hand. Whether in-person or remote, the success of a meeting depends on optimal team collaboration to create an environment that not only yields results but leaves those involved feeling fulfilled in their task.
With Stormboard, team meetings are fully realized, task-driven, and collaborative. Stormboard’s technology is not just an implementation for success from a production standpoint, it is also a tool to keep employees engaged while also incubating a more holistic and collaborative company culture. By utilizing this software, team leaders stay conscious of workplace needs and nurture an environment where collaboration and chemistry thrive.
Are you interested in using Stormboard to make your team meetings more collaborative and connected? Learn more about our 30-day FREE trial here.
About the Author
Jake Pesaruk is a freelance writer based in Montreal, Quebec. Specializing in all things nouns and verbs, he'll write material covering just about anything, save for sports.
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